Norfolk has been selected to pilot a new initiative to tackle the impact of pollution on waterways from new housing developments, with the government saying it will help allow 16,000 homes to be built.

The Norfolk Broads (Image: Mike Page)

The government's Environmental Delivery Plan in Norfolk, which is out for consultation, would see developers pay £2,675 per house into a nature restoration fund for conservation measures, including in the rivers Wensum, Yare and Bure.

But environmental groups are worried that, while it pays for mitigation, it does not stop the root causes of pollution.

National conservation charity WildFish has now lodged a formal objection through the consultation process.

The charity said: "The Norfolk Environmental Delivery Plan is drafted to override protections for the rivers through payment into the levy.

"The protections that are overridden would cover all impacts on a protected feature whether from nutrient heavy pollution or abstraction or indeed any other pressure........

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